Device for the purification of water.



No. 672,23I. Patented Apr. [6, IBM. J. M. A. LACOMME.

DEVICE FOR THE PURIFICATION OF WATER.

(Application filed Dec. 7 1900.)

(No Model.)

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JEAN MARIE AUGUSTE LACOIVIIVIE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WALTER LAUDER, OF SAME PLACE.

DEVICE FOR THE PURIFICATION OF WATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 672,23] dated April 16, 1901.

Application filed December 7, 1900. Serial No. 39,003. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern: entirely upon the number of pairs of sections Be it known that I, JEAN MARIE AUGUSTE into which my tubular device is made. In LAOOMME,acitizen of the Republic ofFrance, order to utilize currents thus traveling or and a resident of New York, in the borough flowing in different directions, I connect the of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State several pairs of electrodes with several dynaof New York, have made and invented cermos or sources of electricity, the current to tain new and useful Improvements in Devices each separate pair of electrodes flowing from for the Purification of Water, of which the a separate and distinct source. following is a specification. In the drawings I have illustrated my de- 10 My invention relates to an improvementin vice as consisting of two pairs of electrodes, devices for the purification of water, the obthe first pair consisting of the sections 3 L ject of the same being to provide suitable and the second pair consisting of the sections means whereby the water may be treated in 5 6, as two pairs are the least number of which large quantities as it flows, for instance, my improved device can be constructed, al-

[5 through the city pipes or mains, and at the though it will be evident that the number of 55 same time beefiective in the destruction of pairs may be increased to three, four, five, microbes, bacteria, and in fact all organic or as many at may be desired, it being dislife, and thereby render the water pure and tinctly understood, however, that each pair desirable for introduction into the human of electrodes lnustbe supplied with electricity :0 system. from a separate source. These electrodes 3,

With these and other ends in view my in- 4, 5, and 6 are bent or shaped to form a pipe vention consists in certain novel features of or main when properly combined, the edges construction and combination of parts, as will of each electrode being provided with flanges be hereinafter fully described, and pointed 7, which when the parts are properly assem- 25 out in the claims. bled are bolted or otherwise secured together,

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is with a suitable insulating material 8 between a View, partly in section and partly in elevathem. These electrodes will of course be tion, of a portion of a water-main, showing constructed of metal, iron being preferred by my improved device applied thereto. Fig. 2 reason of its conductivity and cheapness.

30 is a sectional view taken on the line 2 2 of In order to prevent the escape of the current Fig.1. Fig. 3isa diagrammatic view showing ,from these electrodes, I prefer to cover the the arrangement of the electric conductors. same with porcelain 9 or other suitable insu- Fig. 4 is a detached sectional view showing lating material, the device resting upon the attachment of a sparking-rod to the elecbrackets or supports 10, which in turn rest 35 trode. Fig. 5 is a view showing the attachupon blocks of insulating material 11, as

ment of an electric conductor to the electrode. illustrated in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings, 1 2 represent As illustrated in the diagram, Fig. 3, the sections ofacity watermain,between the ends pair of electrodes 3 4 are connected by the of which is connected my improved appawires or electric conductors 12 13 to the poles 4o ratus, preferably of tubular form and of the of an induction-coil 14., from which the wires same diameter as thatof the main 1 2, my or conductors 1'12 113 lead to a dynamo 15, device therefore forming practically a conand from the pair of electrodes 5 6 lead the tinuation of said main or one portion or secwires 16 17 to the poles of the induction-coil tion of the same. As will be seen by the 18, whence the wires or conductors 116 117 4.5 drawings, Ihave so constructed and arranged lead to the dynamo 19, the effect being that 5 my device that I employ what I term crosswhen the main is filled with water the curcurrents of electricity -that is, currents rents of electricity will flow from one elecwhich flow or travel in a direction across trode to the other (constitutinga pair) in one other currents flowing in another direction-' direction, while a current will also flow from 50 the number of these cross-currents depending one electrode to the other (constituting a sec- I00 wardly into the pipe to any ext-ent.

0nd pair) in a direction at right angles to the flow or travel of the first current, the direction of the flow or travel of the cross-currents being illustrated in Fig. 3 by means of arrows. By this construction and arrangement of parts it will be seen that the entire body of water within the pipe which completes the circuit from electrode to electrode will be acted upon by the currents of electricity, which would not be the case were the pipe or main made of less than two pairs of electrodes, for in that instance, especially in the case of large pipes or mains, the current of electricity would simply jump across the in-. sulating material between the edges of the sections from one electrode to the other. The same effect would also follow should the several pairs of electrodes be supplied from the same source of electricity, but which I have entirely obviated by connecting the diametrically opposite sections forming each pair of electrodes with a suitable and distinct source of electricity, thereby utilizing a number of cross-currents flowing in different directions through the water, a feature which, so far as I am aware, has never before been employed in devices constructed for similar purposes. In addition to these induced cross-currents I also employ electric sparks, which materially assist in oxygenizing the water by decomposing the same into its gases, and at the same time decomposing all organic matter that may be present in the water, and thereby assist the induced currentsin the production of a small amount of carbonic-acid gas. These sparking devices, as shown in Fig. 4E, consist of an outer casing of vulcanite, porcelain, or other insulating material threaded in the electrode-sections and extending in- Through this casing 20 extends the conductor 21, preferably pointed at its end.

, In the drawings I haveillustrated two pairs of these sparking rods, one rod extending through each electrode-section, although it is evident that they may be multiplied as desired. material, platinum being preferred. In Figs. 2 and 3 it will be seen that the sparking rods 22 23 extend through the electrodesections 3 4, respectively, and are connected with the wires 24 25, the wire 2% leading to the sparking coil 26, and thence to the dynamo l9, and

' the wire of the conductor 25 also to said dynamo 19. The sparking rods 27 28 extend through the electrode-sections 6 5, respectively, constituting the second pair of electrodes, said sparking-rod 27 having the wire or conductor 29 leading therefrom to the sparking coil 30, and thence to the dynamo 15, the diametrically opposite sparking rod 28 having a wire or conductor 31 leading therefrom to said dynamo 15, the effect being that a spark will flow through the water in one direction from one pair of sparking rods, while a second spark will flow through the Water in a direction at right angles .to the first, it be- They may be made of any suitable.

ing understood that the several series of induced cross-currents of electricity and the,

bular form and having electrode-points extending inwardly into the tube, and hence I make no claim thereto, such being devised for the treatment of liquids in small quantities and wholly unadapted for the treatment of liquids in large quantities and in which a current of electricity from one source escapes from point to point. I am also aware that it is old to construct an apparatus for this purpose having sinusoidal electric conducting sides, these sides being connected to a single source of electricity, and hence I make no claim thereto, the gist of my invention lying in the employment of two or more pairs of electrodes, the several pairs being supplied with electricity from separate and independent sources, whereby several currents of electricity will flow through the water in difierent directions and in directions across each other.'

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. An apparatus for the purification of water, consisting of a section of water-main made up of two or more pairs of electrodes as described, each electrode being insnlated from the others, induction-coils electrically connected with said electrodes and with separate sources of electricity, each pair of electrodes being electrically connected to one of said induction-coils, whereby cross-currents of electricity will be completed through the water in said main, substantially as described.

2. An apparatus for the purification of water, consisting of a section of a water-main, which section is made up of two pairs of electrodes, each electrode insulated from the others, said section of water-main being covered on its outer surface with insulating material, two induction-coi1s, each electrically connected with an independent source of electricity, and each electrically connected with one pair of electrodes, whereby cross-currents of electricity are caused to flow diametrically through the water in said main and in directions at right angles to each other, substanin said main, and two or more pairs of sparking rods, said sparking rods passing through said electrodes and insulated therefrom, the diametrically opposite or alternating rods being electrically connected with the same source of electricity and the intermediate rods with another source of electricity, substantially as described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 6th day 0f 10 December, A. D. 1900.

JEAN MARIE AUG-USTE LACOMME.

, Witnesses:

GEORGE 000K, M. VAN NoRTWIcK. 

